Four Inland baseball teams to compete for CIF Southern Section championships

There will be stars aplenty on the diamond when Norco faces St. John Bosco for the CIF Southern Section’s Division 1 baseball championship Friday at 7:30 p.m., at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field.

Norco (28-4) has taken advantage of the division’s new format this season. The Cougars bounced back from a pool-play loss and won three straight elimination games to reach the championship game for the third time in program history. Norco seeks its first section title after runner-up finishes in 1984 and 2019.

St. John Bosco (26-5) is the division’s defending champion and reached this year’s championship game with four straight victories. This marks the program’s third consecutive appearance in the section finals.

Norco’s Jordan Ayala and St. John Bosco’s Julian Garcia will face off in a highly-anticipated matchup on the mound. Ayala, who recently reclassified to the 2027 recruiting class, is 8-1 with a 0.71 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 59 innings. Garcia, a Long Beach State-committed senior and MLB Draft prospect, has posted an 8-1 record this season to go along with a 0.88 ERA and 93 strikeouts across 63 1/3 innings.

There also is plenty of star power in both lineups.

Norco junior shortstop Dylan Seward is widely considered the top high school player in the 2027 class. He is batting .449 with seven home runs, 39 runs, 29 RBIs and 17 steals. Other hitters to watch for the Cougars are Ayala (.398, 4 HRs, 28 RBIs), junior catcher Codey Brown (.397, 18 RBIs), junior second baseman Zion Martinez (.386, 29 RBIs), and junior first baseman Jacob Melendez (6 HRs, 32 RBIs).

St. John Bosco’s lineup is led by senior shortstop James Clark, who is expected to be a high draft pick in July. Clark is hitting .319 with five homers, 28 RBIs and 12 steals. Other key bats for the Braves are senior third baseman Jack Champlin (.398, 30 RBIs) and senior outfielder Jhett Ohira (.348, 25 RBIs).

Three other Inland high school baseball teams will be playing for championships Friday or Saturday.

Ganesha (25-3-1) faces Loyola (19-12-1) in the Division 2 championship game Saturday at 5:30 p.m., at Morongo Field, home of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Ganesha is seeking the program’s third title in four seasons. The Giants claimed the Division 7 title in 2023 and also won Division 4 last season.

Logan Schmidt is slated to be on the mound for Ganesha. The senior southpaw is committed to LSU but also is expected to be selected in the early rounds of the MLB Draft. Schmidt has been exceptional during the postseason, tossing 14 scoreless innings while striking out 19 batters in his previous two starts. Schmidt also has been the Giants’ most consistent bat throughout the playoffs, going 9-for-13 with six RBIs.

Loyola finished fifth in the tough Mission League, and the Cubs scored five runs in the sixth inning to rally for a 6-3 win over Foothill on Tuesday. Freshman Sheriff Hall is expected to get the start on the mound for Loyola. Like Schmidt, Hall has not allowed a run in his two playoff outings (10 2/3 innings).

Kaiser (19-13) faces Culver City (16-15-1) for the Division 5 title on Saturday at 11 a.m., at Morongo Field. This marks the program’s second appearance in the section finals (Division 4 runner-up in 2016.)

Senior Zeke Cortez is scheduled to be the starting pitcher for Kaiser. He has appeared on the mound in each of the previous four playoff games, picking up two wins and a save while striking out 20 batters in 14 innings. The Cats’ offense is led by senior second baseman Thomas Cuellar, who is batting .366 with 27 runs.

Culver City is making its first appearance in a section final. Senior Ben Nevarez (4-3, 2.57 ERA) likely will get the start, but senior Jordan Espino (3-1, 1.31 ERA) also is available after throwing five innings in Tuesday’s semifinal game. Brothers Nolan and Matthew Riesenberg are the Centaurs’ top hitters.

Webb (9-13) had to win a play-in tournament to secure the San Joaquin League’s final playoff berth, and the Gauls now will take on Rolling Hills Prep (11-11) for the Division 9 title Friday at 4 p.m., at Cal State Fullerton.

This marks Webb’s second appearance in the section finals (Division 1A runner-up in 1977). The Gauls are led on offense by senior shortstop Alec Kaushal, who is batting .559 with 29 runs and 27 RBIs. His brother, sophomore center fielder Aidan, also has knocked in 27 runs. Junior Jaxu Bohn likely will start in the mound.

Rolling Hills Prep is making its first trip to the section finals. The Huskies are led by junior shortstop Samuel Lopez, who is batting .672 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs. Senior Alex Hernandez will be the starting pitcher.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 12:51 PM.